Amtrack Train Accident Attorney

A skilled train accident attorney from Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP can help you if you have suffered serious train accident injuries or lost a loved one due to a wrongful death in an Amtrak train crash.

Over many decades of exclusively representing injured individuals and the families of those who have lost their lives due to railroad negligence, our firm has an unequaled reputation. Our attorneys will identify all possible sources of compensation to ensure that victims of train accidents and their families receive the maximum recovery, including medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity, as well as compensation for pain and suffering.

The attorneys at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP are experienced train crash trial lawyers. We have served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committees for the Chatsworth (2008) Metrolink and Union Pacific litigation, as well as the Glendale (2005) and Placentia (2002) Metrolink complex litigation cases. We have also successfully represented victims of the Oxnard Metrolink (2015) collision, as well as several passengers injured in the Amtrak derailment onto I-5 at Dupont, WA (2017).

Amtrak Train Crashes Occur All Too Frequently

This most recent derailment of an Amtrak train, south of Seattle, will intensify scrutiny of Amtrak’s safety record, which was already under the microscope following a series of fatal incidents.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the train was traveling at 78 miles (126 km) per hour in a 30-mph (48 kph) zone when it jumped the tracks on the morning of Monday, December 18, 2017. Investigators have said speeding was to blame, at least in part, for many recent Amtrak crashes, including one in 2015 in Philadelphia that killed eight people.

Then-NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt issued a scathing critique of Amtrak’s culture in November 2017, saying a future breakdown was likely.

“Amtrak’s safety culture is failing and is primed to fail again, until and unless Amtrak changes the way it practices safety management,” Sumwalt said on Nov. 14, 2017.

Congress had mandated the implementation of PTC nationwide by the end of 2015, then extended that deadline to the end of 2018, with a further extension available to December 31, 2020 for railroads meeting statutory milestones.

In 2015, the NTSB calculated PTC would have prevented 145 train accidents, saved 300 lives, and avoided 6,700 injuries had it been in place since 1969.

Less than half of Amtrak’s 459 locomotives had PTC as of the second quarter of 2017. The Federal Railroad Administration announced on December 29, 2020, that PTC is now in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger route miles nationwide.

By contrast, in Germany, Britain, and France, there has been some form of automatic train control since the 1930s, the FRA said. Japan has run its bullet trains since 1964 with zero passenger fatalities.

Focusing attention on these issues should force changes that make railroads safer, in the future, for the traveling public and for railroad workers. At this time, those who have unfortunately suffered injury in an Amtrak crash need to act quickly to protect their rights.

What Is The Cost Of A Train Accident Attorney?

The Amtrak train accident and Metrolink train crash attorneys at Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP will represent you on a contingency basis. This means you pay nothing until your case is resolved.

It is important that you contact an Amtrak train accident attorney as soon as possible. All railroads have a team of attorneys and claims personnel who serve the railroad’s interests. You need someone on your side to protect your interests and fight for you. The laws that apply to Amtrak train accidents and Metrolink train crashes are very complicated. Amtrak is a government entity.

Sound Transit, officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the state of Washington and is also likely to be involved in this litigation.

With public entities such as these, the victims of this crash must meet certain obligations to submit claims before the time deadline expires.

Claim Deadlines When a Public Transit Agency Is Involved

Washington law treats claims against public entities differently from ordinary injury claims. Under RCW 4.96.020, a claimant must file a written claim for damages with the local governmental entity and then wait sixty calendar days before filing a lawsuit. Claims against Washington state agencies follow a parallel process under RCW 4.92.100. Missing the presentment step can bar an otherwise valid claim entirely, regardless of how serious the injury is. Because a single derailment may involve a transit authority, a state transportation department, and a private carrier at the same time, each defendant can carry its own filing requirement and its own clock.

It takes a train accident attorney with experience to know how to litigate a case against railroad corporations like Amtrak and Metrolink.

Consulting with experienced attorneys who have handled cases against Amtrak in the past is the best way to make certain you are properly represented.

Contact An Amtrak Train Accident Attorney

We have successfully represented hundreds of victims of train accidents and injured railroad workers — against some of the largest railroads in the country, including Amtrak, Union Pacific, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

If you need a train accident attorney, please contact Hildebrand McLeod & Nelson LLP for a FREE, no-obligation consultation. We have the resources and experience to navigate the complex process of fighting for you and your family for injuries or death related to train accidents.